84 Lumber Classic

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The 84 Lumber Classic at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort was an American golf event and part of the PGA Tour. The event's title sponsor was lumber company 84 Lumber. The course, Nemacolin Woodlands, is owned by 84 Lumber founder Joseph Hardy.

1 History of the 84 Lumber Classic
2 The End of the Classic
3 Michelle Wie at 2006 event
4 Trivia
5 Winners

[edit] History of the 84 Lumber Classic

Before the 84 Lumber Classic, there was the Pennsylvania Classic, which was played at Waynesborough Country Club in Paoli, Pennsylvania in 2000 and 2002, with the 2001 event at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. It was replaced by the 84 Lumber Classic for the 2003 season. Unlike the Pennsylvania Classic, the 84 Lumber stayed at the same western Pennsylvanian spot: Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa's Mystic Rock course, Joe Hardy's course designed by architect Pete Dye, in Farmington, Pennsylvania. In 2003, the tournament attracted a very small number of well known pros. The tournament did have the fan favorite, John Daly, as one of the main attractions. Daly is in a deal with the 84 Lumber company to wear its logo during his competitive golf rounds, and thus he did appear at the tournament. The low attraction of highly ranked pros showed in golfer J. L. Lewis seizing victory.

The struggle to attract better competition was evident in Hardy's decision to bring Pete Dye back in order to renovate the course. The renovations included lengthening as well as creating better spectator views for the tournament. The major renovation may have been the building of Falling Rock, a large clubhouse with extensive facilities for the players. Hardy had publicly stated that he was interested in hosting a U.S. Open at Nemacolin Woodlands, but unfortunately the difficulty of the course was questionable due to the low winning score from 2003.

In 2004, number one ranked player Vijay Singh accepted Hardy's invitation to play in the 84 Lumber Classic. The acceptance by Singh was a victory for the directors of tournament in attracting better competition. At the time, Singh was not endorsing the 84 Lumber company, but he received an offer after his victory. The second installment of the 84 Lumber Classic was a bigger success then the first. Singh went on to win over little opposition during his record setting year. The tournament yielded low scores despite the strong efforts to make the course more challenging by owner Joe Hardy.

The third installment of the 84 Lumber Classic carried the best turn-out of highly ranked players in the tournament's history. Two of the four best players in the world, Phil Mickelson and 84 Lumber sponsored Vijay Singh, attracted greater crowds. However, the expected battle between the two giants was dampened by a Cinderella story contestant who had recently leaped into the national spotlight. U.S. Open contender, Jason Gore, was able to pull off a victory after jumping up on to the PGA Tour from the Nationwide Tour. Gore's victory assured him a tour card for several years to come, while raising the question of whether Hardy should offer a sponsorship to the newcomer. However, the similarity between already sponsored John Daly and Gore forced Hardy to choose one over the other.

The 2006 tournament was the final 84 Lumber Classic for financial reasons.

[edit] The End of the Classic

The 84 Lumber Company announced in April 2006 that it would no longer host the Classic. The move was unexpected, but understandable as the company had recently laid off a significant number of employees nationwide. Hardy's daughter, Maggie, explained the situation as the sponsorship of tournament being unfair to the thousands who had lost their jobs, and also unnecessary because the purpose of the tournament was to entertain clients — which the company could do at any other golf tournament. The 2006 event was the last installment of the 84 Lumber Classic.

[edit] Michelle Wie at 2006 event

Teenager Michelle Wie accepted an invitation by Wie family friend and 84 Lumber owner Joe Hardy to play in the 2006 tournament. It was be her sixth attempt to make a cut in a PGA Tour event and third attempt in 2006. It was expected that Wie's involvement will help draw fans to the event. At the September event, Wie shot 14 over par over the first two rounds, finishing 23 strokes behind the leaders and last among all competitors who completed two rounds.

[edit] Trivia

The 2001 Pennsylvania Classic was the first PGA Tour tournament staged after the September 11, 2001 attacks. All events that had been scheduled for the previous week were cancelled. The Laurel Valley course used that year was about 40 miles west of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Airlines Flight 93 went down.